A Taker's Daughter
by LolaB28
Summary: After a nasty divorce, they sadly separated, but after learning about his ex-wife's death, John Rahway searches for his adopted daughter Melanie, but will she welcome him with open arms after all these years? Can he hide his Takers lifestyle from the only family he has left? How will he feel when she falls for one of his fellow Takers?
1. Melanie

**Melanie**

It was 2 am, and Melanie just left from work. She usually leaves a little earlier, but her client needed her to stay, and she needed the extra money tonight. She hated walking home during this time, but the last time she tried to catch a cab, the driver was hitting on her, and it made her feel uncomfortable. She had to admit these older men standing outside some of the bars with their beer bottles looking at her made her feel uncomfortable as well. She clutched her bag tightly and patted it a few times just to make sure she had her knife just in case they tried to touch her. She quickly felt reassured. She lived in the city, so it is about a 5-minute walk from her apartment to work, which was a good thing. She wouldn't have to be walking past these bars full of drunken men for long. Usually, she was okay with it, but tonight she felt as though she someone is watching her. She began looking around for that large Escalade that she has been seeing for weeks now. She would notice it was driving around or parked across the street from her apartment. She even memorized the license plate number just in case she felt the need to call the police.

She began to walk faster. She couldn't wait to get home. Not only did she want to feel safe, but she wanted to get some sleep too. That was the one thing she liked about working at night; she could sleep all she wanted during the day. She continued walking until she suddenly stopped. She was missing something, her tip money from tonight. She could have sworn she put it in her purse, but for some reason, she felt it was missing. She frantically began looking for it and after a minute, she finally found it. She had forgotten that she placed it deep inside her purse so nobody would be able to find it. She folded the money and put it in her bra just in case.

Now knowing that she has everything she needed she continued walking. The longer she was out, the more she felt unsafe.

* * *

John Rahway was scared out of his mind knowing that his only daughter was walking at 2 am in a shady bar filled part of town, but at the same time, he was happy to find her. He owed Jake his life for helping him find her. Jake could be a detective if he wanted to. Say a name, and he can find out everything about that person within 48 hours.

He continued to follow her until she got to her apartment. He noticed her looking around a bit. He got a closer look at her. She was definitely all grown up, maybe a little too grown up; the dress she was wearing was a bit short. He watched her unlock her door and walk into her apartment. He was torn, there was an enormous part of him that wanted to knock on her door and reunite with her, but the other part of him was scared. Scared that she would never accept him after he divorced her mother. Even though he legally adopted Melanie, her mother told him that he could never see her again. He respected her wishes because he didn't feel like going through any more drama and he knew that she was going to make his life difficult if he tried to see her. He enjoyed his bachelor life and not having any responsibilities whatsoever, but he is getting older now, and things are starting to change. After hearing of his ex-wife's death, and seeing Melanie now, he regrets not fighting for custody and being her father. He felt guilty, taking on the responsibility of being a father figure to another man's child and walked out on her. He was no better than her real dad, but he was going to make it his duty to make it up to her. He took out his phone and began to call her.

* * *

Melanie unlocked the door to her third-floor apartment only to find her best friend Sasha laying on her couch comfortably watching tv and drinking wine.

"Sasha, I gave you my key for emergencies, not so you can break into my house and drink my wine." Melanie took off her shoes and placed her purse on the counter.

Sasha laughed as she sat up and flipped her bright red hair, "Well one, I tried calling you, and you didn't answer, I was worried. Two, technically, this isn't breaking in, you gave me your key and three, this _is_ an emergency, Brandon and I are in a fight."

Melanie rolled her eyes, "What happened now?"

Sasha continued to drink more wine. "He's a dick. What more can I say?"

Melanie was ready with a rebuttal but was interrupted by her phone.

"What the hell?" She rushed to her purse to look for it. Who could be calling her at 2 am?

"Hello?" She answered.

John broke down. Hearing the sound of her voice broke his heart. He was trying his best not to cry, but he couldn't help it. He felt so guilty. Melanie was the only family he had left, and he hasn't seen her in years. He knew she was going to have some animosity towards him for everything that happened between him and her mom. He didn't know what to say to her; he was just silent.

"Hello?" She said again. "Anyone there? Who's this?"

John hung up. He couldn't do it. This was not the time, and this was a conversation that needed to be had face to face. He was hoping that she would find the letter that was left in her mailbox.

"Who was that?" Sasha asked with confusion as Melanie hung up the phone.

"I don't know," Melanie answered back. "This is like the fifth time this has happened."

"Call the number back," Sasha suggested.

"I can't it's blocked," Melanie said back. She threw the phone and sat on the couch next to her and poured herself a glass of wine. They both placed their feet on the coffee table, and they both began to relax.

"So where were you?" Sasha asked.

"Working late. I've got to make rent this month. I have only a few days, and if I'm late again, I'm gonna get the boot."

Sasha sulked a bit. She hated to see her best friend struggle. "Why don't you try calling your dad? Doesn't he live in LA too? Maybe he can help."

Melanie sighed, "I don't have his number and even if I did, why would I call the old bat? He adopted me then divorced my mom, what kind of bullshit is that?"

Sasha sighed, she tried explaining this to Melanie before, but Melanie flipped out on her, and they didn't talk for a few days. She didn't want to go through that again, but she knew deep down that calling her father would be the best thing for her.

"Maybe he had his reasons, just hear him out. maybe you'll get a better understanding."

Melanie sighed. She was getting annoyed with Sasha constantly bringing up her father. All she could think about was him walking away from her and her mother during the divorce.

"Drop it, Sasha. I don't want to talk about it, and that's that."

Sasha sighed and didn't say anything else. Melanie is stubborn as ever and arguing with her will not get her anywhere tonight. Maybe another time.

There was an awkward silence for a few minutes. After taking a few sips of wine, Melanie calmed down.

"Do you want to come to the bank with me tomorrow? I have to make this deposit."

Sasha nodded, "Yeah just come to me on my break at work, we can go then."

"Ok." Melanie quietly said as they continued watching tv and sipping their wine.


	2. Bank Heist Blackout

**Bank Heist Blackout**

 _This is going to be fun._ Melanie thought to herself as she and Sasha arrived at the bank. She pretended to listen to Sasha babble endlessly about another argument she had with her boyfriend Brandon.

Melanie hated Brandon with a passion. Ever since Sasha started dating him she started to change, very few girls night outs. The last one they tried to plan he wouldn't let her go unless he was with her. One night Sasha had lied to him about going out with Melanie. He followed them and all three of them gotten into a huge argument. That was a year ago and Melanie hasn't seen him since, nor did she want to.

Melanie began to think about her recent relationship, although it was never really a relationship. It was more sexual if anything. She met that guy at the club she works at. It didn't last very long when he told her that they needed to be over three days before his wedding. Melanie didn't want to admit it, but she was hurt. She was beginning to have feelings for him, but now he was long gone.

The two of them approached the elevators and waited. Sasha was still continuing about Brandon.

"He called my job a bunch of times! I had all this work to get done! He pissed me off to the core! Then he got mad at me for going over to your place last night! "

The elevator finally reached the floor they were on and the doors opened. Sasha and Melanie got in, it was a little crowded due a janitor pushing a large cart, but they managed to squeeze in. Sasha decided to change her tone due to everyone being so close.

"So Mel, when are you going to start dating? I know a guy who works at our firm, he's really sweet."

Melanie scrunched her face, "Okay, the last guy you set me up with was a total lame."

Sasha scoffed as the elevator stopped and the doors opened. They made their exit and made the way in line waiting for an available teller.

"He was not lame!" Sasha exclaimed. "You just need to higher your standards. You keep dating these no good losers. He had a job, he treated you nice. What was the problem?"

Melanie sighed, "I don't know. I just wasn't into him. I can't explain it."

"I can help the next person!" A teller was finally available to them.

Melanie and Sasha began walking but they were distracted by the sudden chaos. Everyone in the bank began frantically running around screaming as four guys dressed in black, armed with large guns burst out one of the elevators. One of them immediately began shooting in the air and everyone quickly got on the ground.

"Now that I have your attention! We're not here to hurt you! Stay calm! You get to go home for dinner! Understand me!"

Melanie immediately laid stomach first on the ground. She couldn't believe that she is witnessing a real live bank robbery. This is the kind of thing you see in movies. She began to panic because she couldn't find Sasha. She quickly looked around and see that she was laying on her stomach, clear across the room. _How did that happen? She was right next to me._ Melanie thought to herself. They must have lost track of each other in the midst of the chaos. She began to panic as she watched two other guys crack open the safe while the other two patrolled the rest of the bank. Everyone seemed to be complying to the robbers except a bank teller who tried to discreetly press a silent alarm.

"Looks like we got a naughty on here!" One of them caught her.

Melanie looked up quickly to see one of the robbers quickly grab her.

"Okay, bad girl, we need to make a phone call." He continued as he forcefully escorted her to the phone and the victim made the phone call.

Melanie kept her head up, but she was still trying to be stealthy. She didn't want to be noticed by any of the other robbers. She watched as robber took the phone away from the teller and forced her to sit down. She quickly obliged and put her hands behind her back. The robber put his gun to her head.

Melanie began breathing hard. She was trying her best to calm down, but she couldn't. She began coughing so loudly that everyone heard her, including the robber.

"Hey! Shut up over there!" One of them yelled.

Melanie put her head down, clutching her chest, still coughing. She was trying her best to quiet down, but she couldn't. Sasha looked at her with concern. She knew Melanie is having one of her infamous panic attacks. She couldn't help calm her down because of the robbery. She gave her a reassuring look letting her know that everything was going to be okay, but Melanie was still panicking and coughing.

"Hey, I said shut up!" The robber yelled again. He slowly moved away from the bank teller who still had her arms behind her head, making his way to Melanie, but he didn't take his eyes off her.

"Don't you dare move!" He yelled as he pointed his gun at her. The bank teller remained frozen. It looked as though she was too scared to move.

The robber quickly made his way to Melanie. He grabbed wrapped one arm around her neck and pointed the gun at her head with his free hand.

"I said shut up!" He yelled.

Sasha watched in horror as Melanie slowly stopped coughing, but now she was running out of breath and her eyes were beginning to close. She was trying to stay conscious because of the robbery, but it was no use. She passed out on the robber and Sasha began to cry. The robber held onto her until the other two robbers arrived with larger duffel bags. It was obvious those bags were full of money.

The robber holding Melanie put her down and ran away along with the other robbers. As soon as they left the scene, everyone got up and chaos began. Tellers and customers were running all over the bank, panicking as police made their way in as well. Sasha quickly got up and began performing CPR on Melanie. She tried calling for help, but no one answered her call except a cop who just emerged from the stairs.

"Help me, please! I don't know what to do!" Sasha cried.

"Was she shot?" The cop asked as he began to perform CPR as well.

"No!" Sasha cried. "She started coughing and she couldn't breathe and the guy grabbed her and she passed out! I don't know what to do!"

"Ok, calm down ma'am! I still feel a pulse, we're going to get her to the hospital as soon as possible!"

* * *

Hours later Melanie woke up in a hospital bed. She clutched her aching head and let out a light groan.

"Hey Mel," Sasha greeted. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I got ran over by a bus," Melanie laid back. "How long was I out for?"

"Couple hours," Sasha answered, "You had one of those anxiety attacks again. You passed out during a bank robbery."

Melanie began to think about being held at gunpoint by one of the robbers. She didn't remember much after that. She frantically looked around and began checking herself for bruises and abrasions.

"You're okay." Sasha stopped her. "He didn't hurt you." Melanie sighed as the doctor entered her room. "You're awake sleeping beauty!" He said with glee. "We're still running some tests and we'll have the results in a few hours. In the meantime, we have some detectives that need to ask you some questions."

"Beware," Sasha whispered to Melanie, "One of them is an asshole."

"Yeah, that's fine," Melanie said to the doctor as he signaled the detectives to enter.

"Hi, I'm detective Eddie Hatcher and this is my partner Jack Welles. We're sorry to bother you, but we would like to ask you some questions about the robbery."

Melanie sighed, "I'm not sure how much help I'm gonna be, but ok." She noticed the other detective rolling his eyes. He seemed agitated which made her nervous. She tried to keep calm.

"Your sister already told us that one of the robbers grabbed you," Detective Hatcher began. "Can you tell us anything about him? Did he say anything?"

Melanie was silent for a few seconds. She was trying her best to remember, but she couldn't.

"Um, well, they ran in and a few gunshots went off. They told everyone to get on the ground, I started coughing. I was trying to control it, but I guess it pissed him off. He grabbed me, then put the gun to my head. I remember him telling me don't move and to shut up that's all." She pointed to Sasha, "And she's not my sister, she's my friend."

"Was there anything unusual or distinctive about his voice?" Detective Hatcher asked as he began writing in his notepad.

Melanie shook her head, "I really don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know?" Detective Welles yelled. "He was right there! Didn't you hear anything? What are you deaf? We were literally in this hospital forever for this useless witness."

"Don't talk to her like that! What is hell is wrong with you?" Sasha darted, protecting her already nervous friend.

"I passed out!" Melanie's voice cracked, "They had their faces covered, he grabbed me from behind. I couldn't see him."

"Of course." Detective Welles uttered in frustration.

"Way to protect and serve," Sasha said after him. "Have a little compassion, the girl is in a goddamn hospital bed!" The two of them began raising their voices and Detective Hatcher got in between them quickly.

"Calm down guys."

Detective Welles let out a long sigh and left the room.

"I apologize for my partner, he didn't mean anything by it." He gave Sasha his card. "Thanks for your help. If you guys remember anything, please call me. We wanna nail these guys asap."

"Thank you," Sasha said as Detective Hatcher walked out of the room.

"Told you one of them was an asshole," Sasha began. "That other one was cute, though. You should go for him!"

"Um, no," Melanie scrunched her face. "Plus, he's married. I saw the ring."

They both chuckled a bit. Sasha took a look at Melanie, she looked really exhausted and upset. She couldn't help but feel bad for her. She has been having these anxiety attacks ever since her mother died. This wasn't the first time Sasha had to accompany Melanie to the hospital when she had a breakdown. It was hard to see Melanie like this. As much as she loved her best friend, it was becoming a bit too much for her to handle on her own. She knew it was best for Melanie to be in contact with her father, but she didn't want to bring it up right now, it wasn't a good time.

"Are you hungry? I'll get something out of the vending machine."

"Sure, I can use a sandwich." Melanie answered as she watched Sasha walk away. She tried her best to maintain her nervousness, but it was no use. She hated being in this hospital. She just wanted to go home. She began thinking about her mom, and how much it would mean to have her here. She was the only family she ever had, and she counted on her for everything. Now, she wasn't sure who she could count on other than Sasha.

* * *

John should be ecstatic about the robbery job being successful and the profit they made. After finishing a long night of counting money, he along with Gordon, Jesse, Jake, and AJ, made a toast with their shots of whiskey to another job well done this year. Jake poured more shots for the guys and announced that Lily accepted his marriage proposal and he was planning an engagement party. John took his second shot and congratulated him, but Melanie was in the back of his mind. He broke away from the guys and paced back and forth on the balcony of G's penthouse. He cursed himself for not going to Melanie's apartment and explaining himself. She is the only family he has left and he would love nothing more to reconnect with her. He knew she had some negative feelings about him leaving when she was a teenager. It was very unfortunate to know that she had become a stripper and not college bound like he hoped for.

"You okay, man?" G's voice broke his trance.

"Yeah, I'm fine," John answered.

"Still thinking about Melanie?" G asked, knowing exactly what's in his brother's head.

"Yeah," He answered. "I just really wish I can see her. I really messed up by not being in her life after me and Tara split up. She was giving me such shit, but I should have tried."

G sighed, he wasn't sure what to say to make John feel better. He knew first hand about John's rocky marriage with Tara. They met at the opening of Jake's club years ago and have been inseparable ever since. He wasn't sure if he could be with a woman that had a teenage daughter, but Melanie grew on him and he loved her as if he were her own. When he adopted Melanie, he finally felt that he had the family he always wanted. He was heartbroken when Tara asked him for a divorce out of the blue. John tried his best to keep his family together, but Tara wanted to leave and she took Melanie with her. When he asked to see Melanie, Tara would never let him. She ignored his calls and eventually changed her number. He never heard from her again. He was shocked to see her picture in the paper in the obituaries. It was hard for him to believe.

"You know where she is now," G began. "You got your second chance."

John sighed, "I know but I'm sure she hates me and probably doesn't want to see me. I tried calling her but she doesn't answer. Maybe I should just give up, let her be."

G shook his head. He didn't want John to give up so quickly. He met Melanie and she grew on him too. She even called him Uncle G from time to time. Melanie would tell him secrets that she was too scared to tell John and Tara. He always wondered about her when they divorced, but he kept quiet about it because it was a sensitive subject to him.

"Why not invite her to the party?" G suggested. "Want me to get her to come?"

John chuckled, "She may just go for it if you ask her. You wouldn't mind doing that for me?"

G nodded, "You know I don't mind. That's what family is for. I know with her mom's passing she really needs you right now."

John sighed and took another shot. He was still in disbelief that Tara passed away, but he was glad to know that he still has Melanie. This reunion with her is going to be different. He had to get to know his daughter all over again, and she wasn't a little girl anymore. She was grown up.


	3. Secrets

**Secrets**

Sasha unlocked the door to her best friend's apartment and escorted her inside. She noticed there was a note on the floor by the door. She had a feeling who it was, but she didn't want to make anything obvious. She had to play it cool. She was surprised that she was able to keep this secret for so long. She never kept anything from Melanie. She can only imagine the look on her face when she tells Melanie that she gave her information to her father's work associate Jake. His approach scared her because she didn't know him, but when she learned about Melanie's father she decided to cooperate for a fee. She wasn't sure if she was doing a good job because Melanie still insisted she wanted nothing to do with him.

"Are you okay?" She asked her.

Melanie let out a long yawn, "I'm tired as hell. I think I'm gonna go to sleep for a little bit." She looked around and noticed a letter next to her door. "What's that?"

Sasha was relieved that Melanie found it quickly. She didn't have to lure her to it. "What's what?"

Melanie picked up the letter and began to open it. "It's probably the douchebag landlord downstairs complaining about some more shit."

Sasha remained silent as Melanie read the letter. She noticed the somber look on her face.

"What's wrong?" She asked.

Melanie let out a long sigh, "Uncle G," She said silently.

Sasha was confused, she was hoping it was a letter from her dad. "I'm sorry, who?"

"Gordon Cozier, he invited me to this engagement party. He says my dad will be there and they both want to see me." Melanie threw the letter in disgust.

"Why not go?" Sasha asked, hoping she can convince her otherwise.

"Um, did you not just hear me say the old bat will be there?" Melanie paused and buried her head in her hands. "But Uncle G though, damn, I haven't seen him in forever. It would be nice really to see him."

"Who is he?" Sasha asked as she sat on the couch.

"He and my dad work together. He was around all the time. He was so cool. Anytime I had a situation I could always talk to him about it, and he always had the best advice. He was like that one family who always let you do things you weren't supposed to do. He would let me hang out with him in his office and watch his TV. It was really big so it's cool."

Sasha chuckled a bit, then Melanie continued.

"He's really sweet. He was always the taste tester for any recipe I made. He always convinced me to try again anytime I messed a recipe up. He takes looking on the bright side to a whole new level."

Sasha choked up a bit when Melanie mentioned recipes. Melanie was the best cook she has ever met in her life. Melanie used to love to cook. It always made her happy. She had the skills to open her own five-star restaurant one day. Melanie was accepted into The Art Institute of Los Angeles International Culinary Program, but when Tara passed away she didn't even bother to register. She looked in Melanie's kitchen at her many cookbooks that have not been touched since then.

"He sounds like a really good guy," Sasha said, "You should go and see him and reconnect with your dad. Come on, after everything you've been through, you need your family. I'm sure your mom would want that."

Melanie scoffed, everything sounded great with the exception of reconnecting with her dad.

"Yeah, family doesn't pull you in, get your hopes up and then abandon you."

Sasha was a bit annoyed with Melanie's stubbornness. It was time to set her straight.

"You wanna talk abandonment? Hello? I lived with foster parents my whole life are you kidding me? Both of my parents are druggies, lord knows if they're even alive at this point!"

"Sasha, you lived in Phoenix in the suburbs. Save the drama, your foster family adores you."

Sasha rolled her eyes, she could understand why Melanie didn't have too many friends in school. Nobody on this earth would be able to deal with her snarky remarks.

"You did too!" Sasha said back, "And I love them with all my heart. They're my family just like John and this Uncle G person is your family."

Melanie was getting annoyed with Sasha. "Why do you care so much about this? It's not your problem."

Sasha sighed, she was trying to figure out what to say. She wanted to tell her that she plans on moving back to Phoenix with Brandon because they are getting married. She and Brandon have been arguing a lot about living in LA or moving home to Phoenix. Sasha wants to stay in LA to be closer to Melanie, but Brandon insists that Melanie is bad news, and she has been the reason why they have been arguing throughout their entire relationship. Eventually, Sasha agreed to move to Phoenix. She wanted to start her own family one day and she wouldn't want to raise them in the hustle and bustle of LA. It was hard enough having to leave her best friend, but moving back to Phoenix was for the best. She wanted to be around her mother and father when she does start having kids. She had to make sure Melanie had someone else to rely on. As much as she loves Melanie, she had to put herself first for once.

"I really think you should give him a chance, Mel. I mean he is looking for you. Maybe he wants to explain his side of things. Just hear him out at least."

Melanie sighed, she never really knew why her mom and John's marriage didn't last. As much as she hated to admit it. She did miss him. He was the only father figure that has ever been in her life. It was hard to ignore him.

"Alright, alright, I'll go, but you're coming with me," She said to Sasha.

"Of course, I'll come," Sasha said back. "It'll probably be the last time I'll be out for awhile."

Melanie was confused, "Brandon's putting you back on the short leash again?"

Sasha rolled her eyes, telling Melanie about her plans to marry Brandon is going to be more difficult than ever since Melanie and Brandon hate each other, but she had to hold off for now. It wasn't the right time.

"No," She answered, "Just a lot to do at work. When's the party?"

Melanie picked up the letter, "Tomorrow night, the address is on the back."

"Well, let's go shopping! I'll buy you the perfect reuniting with your father outfit!" Sasha joked.

Melanie groaned, then yawned once more. "Sleep now, shop later?"

"I'll give you two hours," Sasha said.

"Fine with me," Melanie said back as she made her way to her bed. "Don't you have to go back to work?"

"I can work on my laptop. It's in my car." Sasha answered as she left the apartment.

She went began searching in her purse for her phone as she made her way downstairs to the parking lot. She dialed a number and there was an immediate answer.

"Jake Attica."

"Hi Jake, is this a bad time?" Sasha asked while looking around.

"I am a little busy. Is everything okay?" Jake asked.

"Everything's fine," Sasha answered, she felt bad for lying about her being held at gunpoint during a bank robbery, but she didn't want to worry them. There was enough drama as it is and Melanie is okay. "She got a letter today about an engagement party that her dad is going to be at."

"My engagement party," Jake said.

"Oh, wow! Well, congratulations! I did convince Melanie to go. She's a little skeptical, but at least, it's a start right?"

"That's perfect," Jake answered.

"Well, the thing is, I said I would go with her so-"

"Yeah, lay low, I got it," Jake interrupted. "We'll discuss payment at another time."

"You don't have to pay me," Sasha said with guilt.

"What do you mean? We made a deal-"

"I know, but you don't have to. I'm just helping my best friend get it together. This reunion was long overdue."

"If that's what you want," Jake said. "I gotta get going, thanks for your help Sasha. I'll see you guys tomorrow."

Sasha hung up and sighed, she felt horrible for keeping everything from her best friend. She knows that eventually she will have to come clean. She was never good at keeping secrets.


	4. Reunited

**Reunited**

John continued driving to Jake's club for the engagement party with heavy thoughts on his mind. He experienced quite the surprise when he came home from brunch with G, Jake, and AJ. His worst fears came true when he saw his old cohort, Ghost inside his home and talked to him about a job. Ghost was away for so long John forgot about him. He wanted to brush him off, and tell him there was no way they were going to do another job after they just pulled their yearly, but he knew he couldn't. He could still turn him and rest of the crew in for a job they did five years ago in Koreatown. The job that Ghost was shot and arrested for. He definitely gave Ghost his credit for keeping his word and not turning everyone in. He was right, they did owe him. It was always hard for John to trust Ghost. He was always a shady character. He had a gut feeling that Ghost was going to ruin Jake and Lily's engagement party by crashing it and talking about the job. He felt a little guilty for telling him that Lily is Jake's fiance, but he deserved to know the truth. He was going to find out one way or another.

He couldn't help but think about Melanie as well. He tried calling her several times to see if she is coming to the party tonight, but of course he didn't get an answer. He had a feeling she wasn't coming, maybe he should give up on trying to reconnect with her. He tried the best he could. Melanie didn't have to speak to him if she doesn't want to.

He pulled up at the club. There was a line of excited patrons that stretched all the way around the corner. He was the last to arrive as G, and AJ were already out front waiting for him. Jesse and Jake, of course, were already there.

"It's gonna be a full house tonight gentlemen." G said as the five of them made their way inside the club. The club was packed with beautiful women and excited men who were chasing them. All of them drinking, dancing, and having a good time. Everyone was dressed to kill. This was going to be a good night.

They were greeted by Jake's fiance Lily. All of them greeted her with a kiss on the cheek except for Jake who kissed her on her lips. She escorted them to their VIP section and the gentlemen wasted no time pouring their whiskey shots. John began talking to the guys about Ghost's release from prison and his job proposal. He really didn't want to bring it up, but he wanted to warn everyone before Ghost shows up.

* * *

Melanie and Sasha waited in line for about ten minutes until they finally made their way to the entrance and the bouncer let them in. They immediately began looking around. This was a different type of club. This club had a classical feel to it. Melanie felt as though she experienced a time warp, but she did appreciate it.

"This is really nice," Melanie said.

"I know this is amazing," Sasha said after her. "Not exactly the club you're used to being in huh?"

"I know, I'm glad you picked this dress or I would have ended up looking like a hooker." Melanie said as she pulled up her blue tube top dress. "But I don't know about my hair though. I think my pony tail is crooked."

"The ponytail is fine! You're not going to strip you know!" Sasha laughed. "You're a lady, it's time you start dressing like one."

Melanie scrunched her face at Sasha. She was getting a little annoyed with the stripper jokes. She decided to let it go for now. She wanted to have a good night. "I'm gonna let that slide, butt chin!"

"I do not have a butt chin!" Pinocchio nose!" Sasha darted.

"Let's not talk about your Fred Flintstone big toe!" Melanie said back while laughing.

"No, let's talk about your huge man shoulders!" Sasha laughed back.

"You know what? I really didn't wanna say this, Sasha, but your hair, it looks like my menstruation."

"Hey! Low blow!" Sasha gasped. "This red is poppin' jealous much?"

Melanie laughed, "We're up next, no more fighting." She quickly turned her attention to the receptionist. "Hi, um, I'm here for an engagement party. I was invited by Gordon Cozier and John Rahway."

"What's your name?" She asked as she began looking at her list.

"Um, Melanie, Melanie Rahway. This is my plus one, Sasha. I don't even know if that's the name he has on my list. You might wanna check under Melanie Taylor. I don't even know if I'm on the list. I got this note at my door saying my dad was going to be here and here I am. Oh, wow, I'm talking too much. Sorry, kinda nervous."

The receptionist looked up and smiled.

"Oh my God! You came!" She squealed as she gave her a hug.

Melanie hugged her back, but she was a bit confused. She had no idea who this woman was, but this woman seemed to know her.

"I'm Lily, my fiance owns this club. It's our engagement party! Please come in both of you! John is going to be so excited to see you!"

Lily escorted Sasha and Melanie to the bar.

"I have a few customers to attend to, I'll take you right to your dad in a few." She said with a smile.

"Well, can I get a drink please?" Melanie pleaded. "I'm way nervous. I can't even think right now."

"Sure!" Lily laughed, "It's okay to be nervous, I get it. What about you?" She turned to Sasha.

"I'll just take a water with lemon" Sasha answered.

"Christina!" Lily yelled to one of her barkeeps. "Give Melanie tonight's special and her guest, Sasha, a water with lemon."

Christina nodded, and began making their drinks.

"I'll be right back." Lily said as she left the bar.

"She is quite the chipper one." Melanie said as she continued to look around nervously as Christina handed them their drinks.

"On the house," She said to them.

"Cool," Melanie shrugged as she quickly began sipping her drink. "This is delicious!"

"Slow down tiger!" Sasha said to her.

"Sasha Lynette Patterson! I'm nervous as all hell! I haven't seen my dad in forever and he's around here somewhere! What do I say to him? How am I supposed to act? What does this mean? Why aren't you drinking?"

"Melanie Sidera Taylor/ Rahway, breathe!" Sasha laughed. "Don't worry about me not drinking. This is all about you tonight, calm down ok? Don't make such a big deal out of this! You don't have to do anything out of the ordinary! Just do you, and make sure you give him a great big hug!"

"You are so not helping," Melanie snapped. "My heart is beating so fast! I'm literally dying! Right now! I feel it, literally dying!"

"You're not dying." Sasha laughed as she took a sip of her water. "Everything is going to be fine. Remember on your 18th birthday and we got those tattoos on the back of our neck, and you thought it was going to hurt and it didn't?"

"Yeah," Melanie nodded.

"Just think of it that way, easy peasy."

Lily came back to the bar carrying a small bucket. "John is in the VIP section, are you ready?"

Melanie exhaled then looked at Sasha. "You got this, hun. I'll be down here at the bar," She said as she hugged Melanie.

Melanie emerged from her seat and followed Lily. She led her to a set of stairs that were heavily guarded by bouncers.

"I really can't believe you're here!" Lily cheered. "John told me so much about you."

"Oh, really?" Melanie said with nervousness as they began climbing the stairs. They were stopped by a guy who was on his way down. He seemed to be be rushing.

"Where you going?" Lily asked him.

"None of your damn business!" He yelled back.

"Wait! Before you go, meet Melanie, she's John's daughter. Melanie, this is Jesse, my future brother-in-law."

"Oh shit! John's daughter? No way! Nice to meet you!"

"Nice to meet you too." Melanie said as she extended her hand.

Jesse scoffed, "Girl, bye! Gimme a hug! You family now!"

Melanie shrugged and gave him a hug. It was clear that John was talking a lot about her to his many associates. Maybe John was really missing her after all.

"I gotta go. Lily, make sure you get a picture if he cries!" Jesse joked.

"I'm on it!" Lily laughed as Jesse made his way downstairs. Melanie watched him approach two women at the bar then leaving with them seconds later.

 _Oh boy, one of those._ She thought to herself while having flashbacks of her ex.

Lily and Melanie made their way to VIP.

"Stay right here. I'll get you." She said while still smiling

Melanie did as she was told. She was a bit annoyed with Lily wanting to make such an epic entrance. As if Melanie wasn't nervous enough. She got a glimpse of him and G sitting with two other guys. They both looked the same, but a little older. She smiled, leave it to G to wear white while everyone else was wearing black.

* * *

"Gentlemen," Lily greeted them as she placed the small bucket on their table and sat next to her fiance Jake.

"Baby, who ordered the Dom?" Jake asked.

"That's for Johnny boy," Lily smiled. "It's the girl in the green at the bar."

John and AJ both looked down to the bar and saw a blonde in a green dress raising her glass to them.

"She's cute," Lily chuckled, "But I think there's someone more important you'd like to see." She turned around and motioned for someone to come in. John couldn't believe his eyes when he saw Melanie enter. He could have sworn that she wasn't going to come tonight. His heart began beating extremely fast as he rose from his seat to approach his daughter. She was beautiful, she looked just like her mother.

"Wow! Melanie! Oh my God!"

"Hey." Melanie smiled back, she was trying her best to be cold to him, but she couldn't. Seeing John again brought back many memories they had when he was married to her mother. She had to forgive him. It was the right thing to do, but she still had many questions. She wasn't going to bother to ask them now, tonight was a double celebration; Jake and Lily's engagement and John and Melanie reuniting.

"I'm so glad you came!" John said as he hugged her. He held her tightly, he didn't want to let go of her for a single second. Melanie felt safe for the first time since her mother died. All of the negative feelings she had towards him melted away. Sasha was right, reconnecting with her father was for the best.

They heard the sound of a camera shutter and everyone quickly turned around to see Lily taking a picture with her cameraphone.

"Baby? What are you doing?" Jake asked with a confused look on his face.

"I'm really sorry! This is so sweet!" Lily said as she put her phone away.

John and Melanie chuckled as they broke the hug. Melanie quickly wiped away a tear.

"Sorry, I don't mean to cry in front of everyone."

John chuckled, "It's okay. Let me introduce you to everyone." He turned his attention to AJ. "This is my daughter Melanie, Melanie this is AJ."

"The famous Melanie," AJ smiled to her as they shook hands. "Nice to finally meet you."

"Nice to meet you too," Melanie smiled back. "I like the hat, very retro."

"Thank you," AJ said as his eyes began to wonder. Melanie was definitely a pretty girl. She had a great smile and the prettiest brown eyes he ever saw. AJ was a sucker for nice eyes, but he had to get it together quickly before John noticed. He watched her as she turned her attention to G. It was funny to watch her stand on her tiptoes to hug him. It was clear they knew each other in the past.

"You're so freakin' tall!" Melanie laughed.

"Look at you! All grown up!" G said to her as they hugged again.

"I guess so," Melanie shrugged. "I miss you! We have to catch up!"

"We definitely will, love," G said to her. "I'm really glad you came."

"Me too," Melanie said. She was finally introduced to Jake.

"Hi Melanie," He greeted her with a handshake. "You already met my fiance, Lily.

"Congratulations to you both!" She said to them.

"Mel, have a seat," John said to her.

"Ok sure, but did I get everyone?" Melanie joked as she sat in between John and G.

"You're good," John smiled as he sat next to his daughter. "You look really beautiful tonight."

"Thanks," Melanie smiled. "This place is really nice!"

"This is all Jake," John said while pointing to him.

"This is all yours?" Melanie asked him. She was impressed. Whatever these guys did for a living, they did it quite well.

"Yep," Jake answered as he took a sip of his drink. "Best business decision I ever made."

"Well, again, this is really nice!" Melanie said to him.

"Thank you," Jake said back Melanie's phone rang. She pulled it out of her purse and opened a text from Sasha.

 ** _Brandon called me 3x. Caught a cab home. Good luck 2nite U got this =)_**

 ** _call me 2morow_**

 ** _XO Sasha_**

"Everything okay?" John asked while looking at her phone already getting to his overprotective fatherly duties.

"Oh, yeah." Melanie answered as she began replying to Sasha's text. "My friend came here with me, but she got a cab home. I just want to make sure she got home safe."

"Good deal," John said as he took another look at her. It was so hard to believe that she was an adult. He began to feel guilty that he wasn't there to watch her grow up, maybe this wouldn't be such a shock to him.

"So how are you? How have you been?" He asked her quietly.

Melanie sighed, she knew exactly what he meant. He knew about her mom's death and that was the main reason he was looking for her. She wanted to tell him that she hasn't been okay since. She has been falling apart without her mother. She hasn't been the same Melanie she used to be.

"I'm doing okay," Melanie answered. "I just really miss her a lot."

"Melanie, do you want another drink?" Lily asked her.

"No thanks, I'm fine." Melanie answered back.

"Ok," Lily said as she gave Jake as kiss. "I'll come back up later." She began to walk back downstairs, but she froze at the sight of her ex boyfriend.

"Ghost!" Her eyes widened.

"It's been a long time, girl." He smiled at her.

Lily gulped, she wondered if she would ever see Ghost again. She was hoping that he wasn't going to do anything drastic. It was clear he knew about her and Jake's engagement.

"When did you get out?" She asked.

"Why?" Ghost chuckled, "You miss me?" He tried to grab her hand, but Lily backed away.

Jake immediately rose from his seat. He was pissed that Ghost would crash his party like this, but when John mentioned him being released from prison. He was sure it was bound to happen.

"Ghost! You need to back up." He said with a firm voice.

"Easy Jake, easy." He said with a sinister smile. "I wish you guys the best, really. That's in the past. I'm here to discuss the future, if I may." He walked past Jake and made himself visible to the rest of the guys. Jake whispered to a worried Lily and she quickly went back downstairs to the bar. John was heated, he knew Ghost would crash the party. He had horrible timing, he was finally spending time with his long lost daughter and it had to be cut short for business. Melanie never knew what John did for a living and John was in no way ready to tell her. He had to come up with a lie real fast just in case Melanie had any questions.

"I told you tomorrow Ghost." He said to him.

"I'm not here to bust any balls, this is just business." Ghost said back. It was awkwardly silent as Ghost turned his attention to AJ.

"Hey AJ, any new tats?" He asked him.

"Yeah man, a couple." AJ answered.

"Me too," Ghost answered. He turned to his old friend G. He felt a negative way about him and John running things since he has been locked up. Ghost and G started these business ventures together and it seemed as though G turned on him like everyone else. He kept calm, he knew that his plan was going work out perfectly once he talked to them about the job.

"G!"

"Ghost." G answered back with no emotion.

"How's my man?" He greeted as he extended his hand.

G was reluctant for a few seconds, but he accepted.

"I'm doing good, mate." He answered.

He then turned his attention to Melanie and she immediately felt uneasy. John felt it as well as if he read her mind. He put an arm around her and firmly griped her arm.

"You didn't tell me you were bringing company Rahway, who's this beautiful lady?"

John sighed in anger, Ghost giving her a compliment was not pleasing to him. He wanted to tell Ghost off, but he didn't want to make Melanie feel any more uncomfortable than she already was.

"This is my daughter, Melanie. Melanie, this is Ghost."

"You can call me Delonte. Ghost is just a nickname. It's nice to meet you sweetheart."

"Nice to meet you too." Melanie smiled as they shook hands.

"Rahway's daughter huh? Wow," Ghost said while still smiling at her. "You might wanna give her a gun."

"What do you want Ghost?" G asked, also getting upset with Ghost's remarks about Melanie.

"Damn," Ghost scoffed. "It's like that?"

"It's like that." G nodded.

Ghost scoffed, then looked around. "Well then, I'll be brief." He took a cigar out of the box that was on the table. "I say we go Italian Job on that ass."

John looked at Ghost angrily. He was praying to God that Melanie had no idea what he meant. He was going to have to get the rest of the guys on board about keeping their business a secret from Melanie.

"Let's take this upstairs Ghost." G said.

"Fair enough," Ghost replied as the guys got up and followed Ghost.

"I'm so sorry Mel, I gotta handle some business. It won't take too long. Can you stay for awhile? I'll take you home." John said to Melanie.

"Yeah, I can stay. I'll just go down to the bar with Lily." Melanie answered back as they hugged. John watched her as she made her way downstairs. G couldn't help but notice the smile on his brother's face. He knew how much this meant to John and he was glad he could help in any way. John had always helped him when it came to his sister, this was his way of saying thank you.

"I can't believe how grown up she is," He said to John.

"Neither can I," John chuckled. "I feel old now. Hey, thanks for getting her out here. Whatever you did man, thank you. I owe you big time."

They both followed the rest of the guys to the roof of the club. As much as John wanted to focus on business, he couldn't. All he thought about was being reunited with his baby girl after all these years. He was looking forward to spending more time with her.


	5. She Seems Nice

**"She Seems Nice."**

After the exciting night he had at the engagement party, John had to be up early this morning to talk more business with Jake, Jesse, AJ, G, and Ghost. It was tough but they accomplished everything they need to and then some. It was relaxing when he got to sit down and have a drink with the guys.

"Good work today gentlemen," G said as they all took a shot.

"I'd like to kick it with yall, but I got a date!" Jesse bragged after he quickly finished his drink.

"Handle that, bro!" Ghost laughed.

"I know this!" Jesse said as he left.

"Where are you going this time?" Ghost heard Lily's voice as she and Jesse crossed paths.

"None of your damn business woman!" Jesse said jokingly. "Can I live? Jeez!"

"Have fun!" Lily laughed as she made her way to the rest of the guys.

"Hi," She greeted them as she sat next to Jake and gave him a kiss.

Ghost immediately frowned, seeing the woman he loved kiss his former cohort made him feel more betrayed than ever. The first year of him being in prison Lily sent him letters and told him that she would wait for him. It was clear to Ghost that things have changed four years later.

"What are you up to baby?" Jake asked.

"Just going through the numbers from last night. We did so well! We're gonna be so busy this month too! I gotta make all these reservations before the day is over!"

"Did they call about the empty place?" Jakes asked as he took another sip of his drink.

"I don't know, I'll have to call them," Lily answered back. She clutched Jake's arm tightly. She could feel Ghost's eyes burning into her every time she is around.

"You two are just so cute," He said under his breath as he took a sip of his drink.

"You say something, Ghost?" Jake darted knowing he was saying something smart. Things have been rather tense since he has been back. He knew this would happen so he wasn't surprised.

"Nah, I didn't say anything," He said without looking at Jake.

Lily sighed, she felt a little guilty for not letting Ghost know that she is now engaged to Jake. She never meant to hurt him. Things happened rather quickly between her and Jake. Jake was the one who took care of her when Ghost was locked away, she never expected to fall in love with Jake. She didn't really like him at all when she met him through Ghost. He was always so serious, and always dropped random knowledge as if he knew everything. Once she got to know him, she saw a kinder, gentle side of him and he was a true gentleman when they went on their first date. She began to analyze the relationship she had with Ghost and the one she has now with Jake. She is much happier with Jake than she was when she was with Ghost. Ghost always made excuses about not being ready for commitment. She would never put herself through that kind of drama again. She decided to change the subject.

"Big night for Johnny boy! We all finally got to meet Melanie!"

"Yeah, you never told me you had a daughter Rahway," Ghost said as he took the last of his drink.

"She's Tara's daughter. I adopted her when I was married to her," John explained. He began to feel guilty for not calling her at all today. He was so caught up in working with the guys this morning. It was early afternoon, he was sure that she was still sleeping. That has always been one of Melanie's infamous traits as a teenager that probably hasn't changed.

"She seems nice," AJ said as he also took the last of his drink. Seconds later everyone turned to look at him.

"Don't you start," G said while laughing.

"Yeah, don't even think about it." Ghost said after him.

"Think about what?" AJ asked calmly, not letting the guys see him sweat.

"Mmhmm, I saw you giving Melly Mel the smokey bedroom eye," Ghost said while laughing. "Can't say that I blame you."

AJ was slightly annoyed, Ghost was still up to his troublemaking ways. After five years in prison, one would think he grew up a little bit. Ghost definitely wasn't lying, though, it was hard for AJ to keep his eyes off of Melanie during the engagement party. He couldn't help but think about her pretty brown eyes all night. He was hoping nobody noticed but leave to Ghost and his random observations.

"You always start shit for no reason," He said to Ghost.

John didn't find Ghost funny at all. Maybe introducing her to the guys wasn't a good idea, especially Jesse and AJ. Both of them were well-known ladies men who had an extensive dating history. The only difference between AJ and Jesse is that AJ kept his affairs behind closed doors, except for one affair he had with one of the club's bartenders. He was able to keep it a secret for awhile until she saw him flirting with other women and got jealous. He sometimes even dated women who were married or had boyfriends only because he wanted the late night company. When he was bored with them, he could drop them like a bad habit with no emotional attachment at all. After his last long term relationship, love was just a figment of AJ's imagination.

"Stop talking about my daughter before I shoot you both," John said with a low tone.

"Calm down, John," Ghost said with a smirk. "I'm not the one you need to be worrying about."

AJ pulled a cigarette out of his pocket and lit it quickly, he took one drag and then blew smoke.

"What's that supposed to mean?" He asked Ghost still remaining calm, even though he was still agitated with Ghost.

"We know how you get down," Ghost answered with his signature sinister smile.

"Yeah, AJ is the sneaky one," G said after him laughing, thinking about the affair he had with the bartender.

"That was a long time ago," AJ said. "I don't even remember that girl's name"

"Of course," Lily chimed in laughing. "I remember Brittani. She talked my ear off about how stupid you were when you _broke up_ with her. Do you know how hard it was to find another bartender after she left? God, that was hell!"

AJ took another drag of his cigarette and chuckled, "Why is everyone ganging up on me?"

"Cuz, you were the one eyeballing her," Ghost answered.

"Why the hell do you care?" AJ asked as he took another drag of his cigarette.

John had to shut these two up. They were talking about his daughter as if he wasn't even in the room and it was bothering him deeply.

"What part of I'll shoot you both do you not understand?" He raised his voice.

"I'm sorry man," AJ began. "I just said she seems nice, that's all."

"Ghost, why are you trying to start trouble, man?" Jake asked, trying to diffuse the situation. He was also agitated with him mumbling under his breath earlier. He just didn't like Ghost in general. If he had his way, they wouldn't be working with him at all, but it was a majority vote, unfortunately.

"How am I starting trouble? I'm just sayin' the truth!"

Jake and Ghost began to argue lightly while John was remained silent for awhile and also finished the rest of his drink. It has been less than twenty-four hours since he has seen Melanie and he was already missing her. He broke away from the rest of the guys to give her a call.

* * *

The loud ringing of Melanie's phone awakened her from her deep sleep. She sat up and moved her thick black hair away from her face, and let out a long sigh. She looked at the large clock in her room, it was twelve twenty-seven in the afternoon. She would have slept longer if Sasha didn't call her at seven forty-five this morning asking her about the party. Sasha was always up early trying to wake everyone else up. Melanie was more of a night owl. Their conversation was two hours long. Sasha had a whole bunch of random questions, and Melanie sort of vented about one of her father's co-workers, AJ. He was extremely cute, and really sweet when they had a short conversation at the party. Melanie put those thoughts out of her head quickly. There was no way John would be okay with her dating one of his co-workers.

Her phone continued to ring as she finally grabbed it off of her nightstand. It was John calling. She forgot that he told her that he was going to call her today.

"Hello," She answered.

"Hey baby girl," John said back. "Still sleeping?"

"I sort of just woke up," Melanie said with a yawn. She heard a whole bunch of people talking in the background. "What is that?"

"Just the guys," John answered. "Just finished work today we're just hanging around."

"Sounds like a blast," Melanie said as she yawned again.

"Are you doing anything later tonight?" John asked.

"I don't have any plans for tonight," Melanie answered.

"Do you want to go out and have dinner tonight at six?"

"Uh, sure, we can do dinner," Melanie answered as she was getting nervous.

"Are you okay?" John asked.

"Yeah," Melanie answered. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Just making sure," John said with concern. He noticed Melanie's tone changing when he mentioned going out for dinner. "I'll pick you up at around five forty-five."

"Ok, I'll be ready," Melanie said. "I'll see you then." She began to hang up, but John had something else he wanted to say.

"Melanie, you _can_ call me anytime. You do know that right?"

Melanie was silent, only because she was trying to hold back tears. It was so nice to hear her father say those words again, but she couldn't help but wonder why he never tried to find her sooner. Why did he wait so long to finally decide to be in her life? She had so many things she wanted to say to him tonight, and she had so many questions she wanted to ask. She is definitely going to make sure everything is out in the open.

"Yeah, I know that." She finally answered.

"Ok, well I'm gonna let you wake up, I'll see you tonight."

"Yeah, see you tonight," Melanie said as she hung up. She let out a long sigh as she looked out the window of her bedroom. It was warm and sunny, typical LA weather. She finally got out of her bed and made her way to the bathroom. She was preparing for a shower, but she heard a loud knock on her door.

"Oh my God, what the fuck," Melanie said to herself as she rushed to see who it was. She sighed angrily as she saw her landlord, and quickly opened the door.

"Good afternoon, Mike," She said with no emotion.

"You're finally home," Mike darted. "I came up here earlier and no answer."

"I was out late last night I was sleep- nevermind," Melanie didn't even bother to explain. "What's up? If this is about your rent, I slid an envelope under your door this morning."

"Look, um, I'm sorry I didn't give you a heads up but I need you out of here today." Mike quickly said after her.

Melanie's eyes widened, "What? What are you talking about?"

"My daughter and her three kids need a place to stay. This is the only space that's big enough for all of them."

"So you're just gonna boot me out without even a month's notice? You can't do that!" Melanie yelled.

"I actually can," Mike said. "It's in the lease you signed girlie."

"You gotta be fucking kidding me," Melanie said angrily as she pushed her hair back.

"Look, it's nothing personal. I have to take care of my daughter and grandkids. I'll give you 'til seven ok?"

"Um, not ok, you need to give me back the money I just gave you!" Melanie said.

"I'll do that," Mike answered.

"Well, there was no negotiating that since you decided to throw me out without a notice," Melanie argued.

"It's in the contract!" Mike raised his voice as he made his way downstairs.

"I don't care if it's in the contract asshole!" Melanie yelled as she slammed the door. This was extremely too much for her. She looked around her apartment. She had to gather all of her belongings and move out of this within six hours. She didn't even have time to look for another place. She buried her face in her hands. Doing this all by herself was impossible. She knew she couldn't call Sasha because she is living with Brandon. The only person she can call is John. She didn't want to call him. She didn't want to burden him, but at the same time, she had no other choice.

"He said I can call him anytime," She said to herself as she dialed his number.

* * *

It was seven forty-five in the evening and moving day was finally over. John and Melanie successfully emptied the apartment and brought all of Melanie's belongings into Jake, Jesse, and AJ's place.

John wanted to Melanie to stay with him, but he was uncomfortable with the fact that Ghost broke into his home. John felt it would better if she stayed with Jake, Jesse, and AJ. Neither one of them would have an issue shooting him if he did try something funny. Jake agreed because he knew how shady Ghost can be. He was a bit skeptical about the conversation they had earlier about AJ's wondering eyes on Melanie, but he decided to let it go. If something did go down, they are both grown adults and it was beyond their control. Jesse agreed to let Melanie stay in his loft in one of his extra bedrooms. He was excited about having a roommate. Jake has been all about Lily ever since they have been engaged. The only time they have spent together lately is when they are working. When he got back from his first date he, and AJ helped bring her belongings to her room. John and G were helping at first, but they had to prepare for an overnight business trip with their accountant, Scott.

"This is amazing!" Melanie said as Jesse brought in a few more boxes. She began to look around, the room was almost a big as her apartment. It was so luxurious and beautiful.

"Yeah, I figured you would like the couches over there and the closet space, and the bathroom's right there. Since you ladies need a little extra TLC!" Jesse said while laughing.

"Oh, shut up!" Melanie laughed back as she continued looking around.

"So you all live above this club, and each floor is its own loft?" Melanie asked.

"Yep," Jesse nodded. "We have the first, AJ is on the second and Lily and Jake are at the top."

"This is a big ass place!" Melanie said as she continued to look around in amazement.

"Yeah, it used to be some big factory or something like that until Jake changed it up," Jesse said as he placed Melanie's boxes neatly on the floor.

"Thanks for letting me stay, and I'm so sorry for making you guys do this," Melanie said to him.

Jesse chuckled, "Girl, bye! Like I said, you family now!" He reached for a hug and she gladly accepted. He broke the hug a few seconds later and pulled a key out of his pocket and gave it to her.

"This is yours, I gotta get ready for my date tonight! Date number two for the day. Make yourself at home. Do what you want with this room, I don't care, peace!"

"Wait, second date?" Melanie laughed as Jesse left the room. John came in right after him with another box. He placed it on the floor and let out a long sigh.

"Settling in?" He asked.

Melanie nodded, "Yeah, getting started. I was just telling Jesse that I'm sorry for making you guys go through this. My landlord is such a prick. I had to fight with him to get my money back."

"Don't worry about that lowlife," John said as he began looking around. "I feel better knowing that you're here."

"Yeah I figured," Melanie said as she continued unpacking her belongings.

"Do you have a minute? I wanted to give you something before I leave," John said.

Melanie placed her belongings on the bed then turned to him. "Where are you going?"

"G and I have some business we need to get to so we're taking a jet. I wanted to see you before I leave. I'll be back tomorrow, though."

"Oh," Melanie said as she watched John pull and envelope out his coat pocket.

Melanie took the envelope and opened it. She was shocked when she pulled out three black credit cards in her name.

"I've been putting away money for you ever since you and Tara left. I hoped that one day I'll see you again and give those to you."

"Wow, um, thanks, but really don't have to do this," Melanie said as she tried to give the cards back to him.

"No, Melanie, those are for you," John said refusing to take the cards back. "There's something else in there too."

Melanie's face grew confused as she reached further into the envelope and pulled out a small jewelry box. She immediately opened it and a saw a beautiful diamond ring.

"That's your mom's wedding ring," John answered. He noticed the sad look on her face as she looked at the ring. He knew her mom's passing has been extremely hard on her. She had the same look he had when his own mother passed away. He could feel her pain. "I thought maybe you would like to have it."

"It's really pretty, thanks," Melanie said as she continued to look at the ring. She eventually closed the box placed it on her dresser. "I've been meaning to give you something too."

Melanie reached into one of her many boxes and pulled out what looked like a stack of newspapers. She unfolded it to reveal a framed picture of John, Melanie, and Tara at the beach. Melanie, of course, was making a goofy face.

"I would have sent it, but I never had your address," Melanie said.

John began having flashbacks of that moment. He was truly happy then. Tara was the only woman he ever loved. Having Melanie turned him into the family man he always wanted to be. After the divorce, he was still in love with Tara. It was hard watching them walk out of his life, but he was glad he had a chance to reconnect with Melanie.

"You never could take a serious picture could you?" John laughed.

Melanie smiled and shook her head, "Nope. I don't believe in those."

John looked at his watch. It was time for him to leave. He didn't want this moment to end, but he had to go.

"I gotta get going," He said as he hugged Melanie and kissed her on the cheek. "We'll have dinner tomorrow night ok?"

"Yeah," Melanie answered. "Have fun with work and stuff! Call me when you land, you know, if you have time." She continued her unpacking.

"One more thing," John began. "I don't want you working at that club anymore."

Melanie stopped and turned her attention to John. It didn't take long for her to figure out that he was the one that was in the Escalade the other night. He was the one that has been following her. She began to wonder if he was the one calling her from those blocked numbers.

"I wasn't, I was-"

"Melanie, I mean it!" John said with authority.

"Ok," Melanie shrugged, she was a bit shaken up with John raising his voice.

"You promise?" He asked.

"I promise," Melanie said back.

John watched Melanie unpack her belongings and walked out of her room. He took another look at the picture Melanie gave him. He couldn't help but think about Tara. He missed her just as much as Melanie did.


	6. Locking Eyes

**Locking Eyes**

Midnight was looming, but it felt like nine in the morning. Melanie spent all night getting her room together. She stopped for a second and looked around. This place is beautiful, and she could not get over it. She decided to take a small break and watch TV. The only thing she found that interested her was a marathon of Full House. She laid on her bed and finally began to relax until she heard her phone ring.

"Who the hell is that?" She asked herself as she looked at the caller ID. The name of her ex-boyfriend made her frown. She immediately sent it to voicemail. It was the second time this week he has called her. She had no words for him, and she was going to keep ignoring him until he finally got the hint. She continued watching TV for a few minutes until she heard a knock at the door. She was confused, Jesse and his date for the night were in his room so she knew it couldn't be him. Melanie wanted to wake Jesse. She was bit scared at the fact someone was knocking on the door so late. She was also scared to see what Jesse's room looked liked after the night he had. She grabbed her short robe and began to put it on as she made her way to the door and quickly opened it. She jumped a bit when she saw AJ. He was holding her last missing box.

"Hi," She greeted with a smile.

"The Famous Melanie," AJ smiled back. "Are you okay? Did I wake you?"

Melanie shook her head as she led AJ inside and closed the door.

"No, I was still up, it's okay."

"Yeah, I know it's late, but I'm just coming back from a late night at work, but I thought you might need this," AJ said as he handed Melanie her box.

"Oh my God! Thank you! I've been looking everywhere for these! I thought I lost them!" She took the box from AJ and placed it on the kitchen counter and began going through it. She was ecstatic that she finally found her cookbooks that she had been looking for all night.

AJ couldn't help but watch her. Her beautiful smile grew bigger as she went through each book. He could easily tell she has a passion for culinary arts. He found that fascinating, it's rare that he meets a woman who knew her way around a kitchen or let alone owned cookbooks.

"Thanks for bringing this," Melanie said to him once again. "I'm so sorry! I know it was a pain to help me move."

"It's no big deal," AJ answered back as he still continued watching Melanie go through her cookbooks. He couldn't keep his eyes off her. Melanie has been on his mind ever since the engagement party. He caught a glimpse of cleavage when she reached into the box to pull out another book. He lightly bit his lip trying to keep his composure as he began to wonder what the rest of her looked like underneath her robe.

Melanie noticed AJ staring at her; she didn't mind because she liked it. She had a few naughty thoughts about him when she came home from the engagement party. She put her detachable showerhead to good use that night. It was going to be hard to resist temptation now that she is living in the same building as him. She knew she had to be on her best behavior because of father. If they were to do something and John did find out, he would kill them both.

"Are you okay?" She asked him, pushing those thoughts out of her head quickly. "You look a little tired."

"Yeah," AJ answered breaking his trance. "Work has been kinda tiring lately."

"Yeah, you guys seem to work a lot," Melanie said as she looked around her new home.

AJ chuckled a bit; It would have been the perfect time to invite Melanie to see his loft, but he had to hold off, at least for now. Melanie wasn't just a random girl who came into the club that he could have one night of fun with, this was John's daughter. His only daughter whom he just reunited with. AJ knew he had to approach Melanie a little differently. He could tell by the few glances Melanie gave him that she felt the same way.

"Well, I better go. I'm gonna get some sleep," AJ said. He had to find a way to get out of the loft before he got carried away. In his mind, he is already making love to her.

"Yeah, me too," Melanie said after him.

She led him to the door and opened it. The smell of his cologne made her tingle as he walked passed her.

"So, I'll see you around," AJ said with a smile.

"Yeah, you too," Melanie said.

She watched AJ walk down the hall for a few seconds then closed the door. She couldn't help but smile as she leaned against the door. The glances AJ gave her pierced her mind quickly. They were practically undressing each other with their eyes. Her naughty thoughts came back as she began thinking about undressing him in real life. She was going to have to vent to Sasha about this one. She needed her best friend to talk some sense into her and tell her not to go for it. As tempting as it is to fall for AJ, she didn't want to make another mistake with men as she has in the past. Especially one who works with her father.

* * *

John, G, Jake, Jesse, AJ, and Ghost were all working on the next step in their job. G just got off the phone with Scott confirming that the overseas transactions from their recent robbery were completed. He wanted to tell the guys, but he knew he couldn't right now. He had to be silent about it while Ghost is around. Even though they were good friends before the success, it is still hard to trust that he won't turn them in for the Koreatown robbery they pulled five years ago. G noticed a change in Ghost, and it wasn't for the better. He knew Ghost was jealous of Jake and Lily taking their relationship to the next level. Things have been awkward since he started coming around, but when Ghost made his job offer they could not refuse. A huge profit will be made for all of them. If things go smoothly, they could retire and never have to engage in any robberies again.

John was silent, while everyone else was enjoying the morning view and chatting away. He couldn't help but think about Melanie. John was excited about having dinner with her tonight. He wanted to be completely honest with Melanie, but he wasn't sure if he should tell her what he does for a living. It was always their code to keep it a secret because of the risk that someone would turn them in.

"Guys, I gotta talk to you," John began as he took a sip of his orange juice.

"What's up?" Jake asked.

"I'm going to have dinner with Mel tonight, and I don't know if I wanna tell her, you know, what we do for a living. I think it will be too much for her."

"So you want us to lie to your daughter for you?" Ghost chuckled. "A big fat lie, now there's a _solid_ foundation for a father-daughter relationship."

John didn't find Ghost's remarks amusing. Why is everything a big joke to him? Why can't he just shut up and listen?

"A very complicated relationship," John said back to him. "And if she finds out that we are professional bank robbers, there won't be one at all."

Ghost laughed a little, he didn't like Melanie too much; she reminded him of Lily; a spoiled, self-entitled brat. Her innocent act didn't fool him. He was sure she only came back in John's life because he had money. The same reason why Lily left him for Jake when he was in prison. It would be nice if Melanie did find out about John. He knew for sure Melanie wouldn't be okay with it, and she would most likely go away. Ghost was a bit annoyed about Melanie being around more. He could easily tell that she was the type of woman who always had someone's attention. Everyone was fawning over her at the engagement party, especially AJ. Unfortunately, he had to play nice. He has to deal with her, at least until his plan came through. Then he would have it all, the money, the power, and the respect. He won't have to put up with these guys, Lily or Melanie.

"You lie to her it's just gonna make it worse," He finally answered John. "Women don't like to be lied to."

John was annoyed with Ghost. Who made him the expert on women? He didn't even treat Lily right when they were together.

"I wouldn't expect you to get it," John darted. "You don't have a family to think about. I have been looking for Melanie for years after my ex-wife left. She's the only family I have. I don't want her to hate me."

"Then it's best if you don't say anything," G advised him. "You just reunited with her, right now just worry about repairing your relationship."

G felt bad for saying this because he too has a relationship with Melanie. He began to think about her hanging out with him when she was younger. He thought of Melanie as his niece since she would always call him Uncle G. The last thing he wanted was Melanie hating him for lying also.

"It's in the rules to keep it a secret anyway," Jake said after him.

"Of course, as long as they don't apply to you, right?" Ghost expressed in a low aggressive tone.

Jake shook his head in annoyance. He knew Ghost was referring to Lily knowing what they do for a living. He wasn't sure how much longer he could put up with Ghost being an asshole. Lily is his fiance now, and Ghost is going to have to get over it.

"Ghost, shut up!" Jake raised his voice.

"Nah, you shut up!" Ghost now raised his voice. "You ain't shit! You broke the code!"

"What code?" Jake yelled, annoyed with Ghost always using slang instead of speaking properly like a normal person.

"You took my bitch when I was locked up. I did five years for ya'll, and you take my bitch?!"

An angered Jake stood up ready for a fight, "Don't you _ever_ call her that!"

Ghost now stood up, "I can say whatever the fuck I want!"

Jake and Ghost were ready for a fight, but AJ got in between them. He only did it to protect his college buddy. AJ didn't like Ghost too much either, especially when he made those remarks about him and Melanie, but this is business, not a friendship. Once, the money is made, they never have to deal with him again. AJ could put up with Ghost and his stupid remarks for a few more days.

"Jake calm down, it's not worth it, alright?"

Ghost continued to laugh, which taunted Jake. He wanted to punch Ghost in the face for calling Lily a bitch, but he had to wait until after the job was complete. As much as he didn't want to work with Ghost, he didn't want to miss out on making a good profit. He also didn't want to be selfish and ruin that for everyone else that accepted Ghost's job proposal.

"Come on, do you guys have to do this?" G said to both of them. "Can we just get back to work? We have a deadline to make; we don't have time for the extra stuff!"

"Whatever," Jake said as he got up and walked away.

John wasn't even paying attention. He was over thinking about telling Melanie the truth about his profession. There are so many possible outcomes; she could accept it and appreciate him being honest, she could leave and disown him, she could also call the police and turn them all in. Tara knew about John's profession, but she swore to secrecy. Tara had no choice; she had her skeletons in her closet that she didn't want Melanie to know about. He decided it was best to keep things a secret, for now, but he was going to have to get everyone else on the same page just in case Melanie did ask them. He knew it wouldn't be a problem. They kept it a secret from the whole world for this long.


	7. AJ To The Rescue

**AJ To The Rescue**

Melanie let out a long sigh as she took off yet another dress. "That one definitely screams whore," She said to herself. She looked at the red dress one more time as she hung it up, "I could use it for work tonight, though."

She put on her clothes and made her way out of the fitting room. Shopping for a dress to wear for dinner with John has been frustrating without Sasha. Sasha didn't even respond to the message Melanie left this morning. Melanie sulked, she knew Sasha would become distant again when she got back together with her boyfriend Brandon. It was one of the reasons why Melanie never liked him. She always felt as though she was competing with Brandon when it came to Sasha, and at times Brandon won. Melanie hated the feeling of losing her best friend to a guy. Sasha is like a big sister to Melanie and the only person she can trust. She needed to talk to Sasha about having dinner with John tonight. Her heart began to beat faster as she thought about it. She was completely nervous. She couldn't even remember the last time she had dinner with John.

She looked at her phone again. She thought about calling Sasha once more, but she didn't want to get her in trouble with work.

Another sigh escaped her as she continued shopping for a second dress. She liked the red dress so she decided to buy it. Shopping alone in a store she has never been in is completely new to her. She was skeptical about using her new credit cards that John gave her, but high-end shopping with disposable money is something Melanie can definitely get used to. Most of the money she made from stripping was used to pay bills.

It took a few extra minutes but Melanie finally found a dress she liked. This one was black. It wasn't as short as the red one and it didn't have any extra designs which made the perfect dress for dinner with John. She smiled as she held it against herself and stared in the mirror. Her excitement failed quickly when she heard the sound of a familiar voice.

"Looking good, as always, Melanie."

Melanie turned around and scowled at the sight of her ex-boyfriend, Bobby Cymanski. He was the last person she wanted to see. _So much for a good day._ She thought to herself. She began having flashbacks of their passionate but volatile relationship. She began cursing herself for staying with him as long as she did. She began to think about all of the cheating, all of the lies, and even the times he would hit her. She didn't tell anyone about it. It was the one secret she kept from Sasha. She was afraid of what Sasha's reaction would be if she did tell her. She knew Sasha didn't like him and telling her about what he did would have made things worse.

Melanie was head over heels for Bobby despite how he treated her. He would always make up for his foul-ups with expensive gifts and dinners. She enjoyed that part of the relationship but she just couldn't take him cheating and blaming her for it. The last straw with Bobby was when she found out that she was pregnant with his child. Instead of being there for her, he denied the child and still continued to cheat with other women. Melanie still stayed with him, hoping that he would get his act together and be there for her and the baby. When Melanie suffered her unfortunate miscarriage, Bobby celebrated by saying "Thank God, I dodged a bullet." Melanie couldn't help but cry when he told her that, and finding out that was married during their entire relationship didn't make things any better. She knew then it was time to move on from him. When decided to leave him for good, she was still upset. She felt low for being with a married man. She began thinking to herself that she would never find anyone to love her the way she wanted to be loved. Melanie did learn one valuable lesson, never fall for any of her clients, ever. She hasn't seen him at the club once they broke up, and she was okay with that. She did, however, receive some harsh words from some of her fellow dancers about being in a relationship with one of her clients.

Melanie ignored Bobby and made her way to the salesperson. Bobby wasted no time following her.

"C'mon Mel, I just wanna talk."

"I'll take these two," She said with a smile as she handed the salesperson the dresses.

"Wow, these are beautiful!" The salesperson said as Melanie went into her purse to pull out one of her credit cards. "What's the occasion?"

Melanie handed her card to the salesperson, "Well I'm going to dinner with my dad tonight. I'm wearing the black dress for that."

The salesperson swiped her card and began folding the dresses.

"Your dad?" Bobby said still trying to get Melanie's attention. "I thought you weren't talking to him."

Melanie still continued to ignore Bobby and took her bag from the salesperson.

"Thanks for shopping with us, just so you know everything in the store is fifty percent off this weekend," The salesperson said to Melanie.

"Thanks, I'll be back," Melanie said as she walked out of the store, Bobby still followed her. Melanie continued to ignore him and kept walking, but Bobby grabbed her arm. Melanie quickly snatched her arm away and gave him a look of disgust.

"Look, Mel, I'm really sorry, about everything. I'm sorry for hurting you."

"Whatever Bobby, go home to your wife and leave me alone. I'm done with you. You should have taken the hint when I refused to answer your calls." Melanie turned away from him and continued walking but Bobby grabbed her once again, this time he was a bit aggressive.

"Melanie, you need to listen-"

Another male voice came from behind Melanie and startled Bobby. Melanie was startled as well.

"Melanie! Baby! I told you not to go wandering. You know how you get, you start shopping like a maniac and we'll never get out of here."

Melanie turned around and was shocked to see AJ. He put his arm around her and winked. It took Melanie a few seconds to figure out what he was doing, but she was also confused as to how he knew where she was.

"Sorry, sweetheart, I uh got a little bored. I did need a dress for tonight I told you," She said to him. She couldn't help but smile. AJ is incredibly handsome. She watched him as he turned his attention Bobby, who seemed a bit intimidated.

"Everything okay?" AJ asked, sizing up Bobby.

"Uh, yeah, sweetie, I'm fine," Melanie answered as she looked coldly at Bobby. She was a bit relieved that AJ found her, she was worried that Bobby was going to make a scene in public and that was the last thing she wanted. She began thinking about a fight they had at dinner one night. Bobby was so angry he threw a dish or two.

"It's nice to see you again Melanie," Bobby said quietly as he walked away. Melanie smirked, it was clear he didn't want any trouble when he saw AJ.

"Thank you so much!" Melanie said to him as she started walking with AJ. "But I have to wonder, how did you know I was here?"

AJ chuckled, it was cute of Melanie to think that he liked her so much to follow her. "I was doing a little shopping and I just happened to see you talking to, uh, Bobby is it? Thought you might need some rescuing. Yeah, Bobby is quite the charmer is he?"

Melanie shook her head, she didn't want to waste another second talking about her ex-boyfriend with the new guy she's interested in.

"Yeah, so, shopping huh? Anything in particular?" She giggled.

"New suit," AJ answered. "Friday night is club night. I always get a new suit."

"Club night?" Melanie asked with a confused look on her face.

"Yeah, every weekend the club opens. Jesse is spinning this weekend.

"Really? I didn't know Jesse is a DJ," Melanie said while still smiling. She felt a little dumb not knowing what club night was. Her father's associates own a club. She should have known what that meant.

"Yeah, Jake lets him spin every now and then it's pretty cool. So what are you shopping for?" AJ asked while eyeballing Melanie. He wasn't sure if he liked Melanie in casual clothes or her evening clothes. She had curves in all the right places. Her ponytail made her face stand out even more and he liked it. Her brown eyes were getting the best of him. He began having flashbacks of Melanie in her robe that night when he dropped off her missing box. He hasn't been able to get her out of his head since then. The looks she gave him inferred that she feels the same way. He knew he had to be subtle with her. He did find her interesting beyond her looks.

"Well I was looking for a decent dress for tonight, I'm having dinner with John later. I found one I liked but I ended up getting another one."

AJ chuckled, "I guess I wasn't wrong about you shopping like a maniac."

"Ha, ha," Melanie laughed back. "I'm not the type to blow all of my money on a pair of shoes if that's what you mean, but this is something I can get used to. I'm just nervous about tonight. I haven't seen John in a while and I want to look decent."

AJ took a look at Melanie. She wasn't lying about being nervous. It is written all over her face.

"Don't worry about it, everything is going to be fine. He talks about you a lot when at work."

"Does he really?" Melanie asked as they walked into a men's clothing store.

"Yeah, I just didn't expect you to be so…grown up," AJ said as he watched Melanie look at a few suits on the rack.

"Well, what were you expecting AJ?" Melanie asked coyly.

AJ smiled, he knew Melanie was teasing him, but he wasn't going to give into the bait that easily. He wanted to go about her the right way. He continued staring at her as she continued going through the rack. There was something about her that was just so alluring to him.


End file.
